Device for selective power management for a hand held host

ABSTRACT

A hand held radio host includes circuitry for selectively providing power to radiating transceiver elements and non-radiating application elements according to a plurality of power modes of operation to achieve desired effects and in a way that saves power and extends battery life. In one embodiment of the invention, the hand held host operates in one of three modes. In a full power mode, any selected application element as well as all transceiver elements are powered on at the same time. Thus, for example, a cell phone module, a wireless personal access network module, a wireless local area network module and one of a pager/short message service message module may all be powered on at the same time to receive corresponding messages, calls, data sessions, etc. At the same time that all of the transceiver elements are powered on, any selected application element receives power. Thus, application elements such as address books, calendar functions, games, word processors, etc may receive power when selected.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims is a continuation application of U.S. Utilityapplication entitled, “Device for Selective Power management for a HandHeld Host”, having a Ser. No. 10/285,005 and a filing date of Oct. 31,2002 and also claims priority to and incorporates by reference U.S.Provisional Application entitled, “Power Management of Radio ReceiverElements”, having a Ser. No. 60/403,224 and a filing date of Aug. 12,2002, and U.S. Utility Application entitled, “Power Management of RadioTransceiver Elements”, having a Ser. No. 10/277,787 and a filing date ofOct. 22, 2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to wireless communication systems andmore particularly to radio frequency integrated circuits used in suchwireless communication systems.

2. Description of Related Art

Communication systems are known to support wireless and wire linedcommunications between wireless and/or wire lined communication devices.Such communication systems range from national and/or internationalcellular telephone systems to the Internet to point-to-point in-homewireless networks. Each type of communication system is constructed, andhence operates, in accordance with one or more communication standards.For instance, wireless communication systems may operate in accordancewith one or more standards, including, but not limited to, IEEE 802.11,Bluetooth, advanced mobile phone services (AMPS), digital AMPS, globalsystem for mobile communications (GSM), code division multiple access(CDMA), local multi-point distribution systems (LMDS),multi-channel-multi-point distribution systems (MMDS), and/or variationsthereof.

Depending on the type of wireless communication system, a wirelesscommunication device, such as a cellular telephone, two-way radio,personal digital assistant (PDA), personal computer (PC), laptopcomputer, home entertainment equipment, etc., communicates directly orindirectly with other wireless communication devices. For directcommunications (also known as point-to-point communications), theparticipating wireless communication devices tune their receivers andtransmitters to the same channel or channels (e.g., one of a pluralityof radio frequency (RF) carriers of the wireless communication system)and communicate over that channel(s). For indirect wirelesscommunications, each wireless communication device communicates directlywith an associated base station (e.g., for cellular services) and/or anassociated access point (e.g., for an in-home or in-building wirelessnetwork) via an assigned channel. To complete a communication connectionbetween the wireless communication devices, the associated base stationsand/or associated access points communicate with each other directly,via a system controller, via a public switch telephone network (PSTN),via the Internet, and/or via some other wide area network.

For each wireless communication device to participate in wirelesscommunications, it either includes a built-in radio transceiver (i.e.,receiver and transmitter) or is coupled to an associated radiotransceiver (e.g., a station for in-home and/or in-building wirelesscommunication networks, RF modem, etc.). As is known, the transmitterincludes a data modulation stage, one or more intermediate frequency(IF) stages, and a power amplifier. The data modulation stage convertsraw data into baseband signals in accordance with a particular wirelesscommunication standard. The one or more IF stages mix the basebandsignals with one or more local oscillations to produce RF signals. Thepower amplifier amplifies the RF signals prior to transmission via anantenna.

As is also known, the receiver is coupled to the antenna and includes alow noise amplifier, one or more IF stages, a filtering stage, and adata recovery stage. The low noise amplifier receives inbound RF signalsvia the antenna and amplifies them. The one or more IF stages mix theamplified RF signals with one or more local oscillations to convert theamplified RF signal into baseband signals or IF signals. The filteringstage filters the baseband signals or the IF signals to attenuateunwanted out-of-band signals to produce filtered signals. The datarecovery stage recovers raw data from the filtered signals in accordancewith the particular wireless communication standard.

The need for wireless networking has been addressed by various standardsbodies that promulgate inter-working standards. One such standards bodypromulgated the IEEE 802.11 standard that defines a wireless LAN. In atypical 802.11 wireless LAN, a wired backbone couples to one or morewireless access points (WAPs) that wirelessly connect to many computersor other electronic devices that contain wireless interfaces. IEEE802.11 networks have achieved significant success in servicing wirelesscommunication needs for portable computers, portable data terminals, andother wireless devices that transmit and receive data. However, IEEE802.11 networks lack high data rate and Quality of Service (QOS)features to support multimedia communications.

Wireless personal area networks (WPANs) enable short-range “ad-hoc”connectivity among portable consumer electronics and communicationdevices but do not require the infrastructure needed for an 802.11network. The WPAN™ Study Group (SG) was formed on Mar. 12, 1998 by theIEEE 802.11 Working Group to investigate the need for a supplementalwireless network standard specifically targeted to provide very lowpower consumption, low complexity, wireless connectivity among deviceswithin or entering a Personal Operating Space (POS). This includesdevices that are carried, worn, or located near the body. Theseactivities have led to the development of 802.15, which is a WPANstandard.

Another known WPAN is Bluetooth. For both Bluetooth and 802.15 WPANs,the coverage area for a WPAN is generally within a 10-meter radius. Inother words, a personal operating space (POS) is the space about aperson that typically extends up to 10 meters in all directions andenvelops the person whether stationary or in motion. It is within thePOS that the portable device communicates with an access point. TheBluetooth radio system has emerged as the first technology addressingWPAN applications with its salient features of low power consumption,small package size, and low cost. Raw data rates for Bluetooth devicesare limited to 1 Mbps, although the actual throughput is about half ofthe raw data rate. A Bluetooth communication link supports up to threevoice channels with very limited additional bandwidth for bursty datatraffic. However, Bluetooth communication links cannot support the datatransfer requirements of portable consumer electronics devices thattransmit and receive multimedia data, e.g., high quality videoapplications, audio applications, and multi-megabyte file transfers formusic and image files.

Each of the various stages of the radio receiver, whether its part ofBluetooth or an 802.15 WPAN, an 802.11 wireless local area network, or acellular radio network, consume differing amounts of power but oftenoperate on battery power. Because it is desirable to extend battery lifeto a maximum amount, many different communication devices provide for asleep mode in which a radio is powered down until activated by thedepression of a key or the like. Moreover, some of the standards providefor powering down a receiver for a specified period of time and thenpowering the receiver back up to enable it to engage in communications.The current designs and proposals, however, do not provide anysuggestions for maximizing the amount of power savings and do notprovide for power saving modes and periods that maximally extend batterylife.

Therefore, a need exists for a power management mode of operation thatimproves the power management functionality of a hand held device andthat maximizes battery life before recharging is required.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to apparatus and methods of operationthat are further described in the following Brief Description of theDrawings, the Detailed Description of the Invention, and the claims.Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description of the invention madewith reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless communication systemin accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless communication devicein accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a hand held host formedaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating additional aspects ofthe invention;

FIG. 5 is a table illustrating one embodiment of the operation of thepresent invention;

FIG. 6 is a table illustrating mode selection according to one aspect ofthe present invention;

FIG. 7 is a table illustrating an aspect of one embodiment of thepresent invention and, more specifically, the selection of operatingparameters for a custom mode of operation;

FIG. 8 illustrates a default power on selection table illustrating yetanother aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of an alternate embodiment of theinvention of a hand held host;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an aspect of the operation of oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an aspect of one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method according to an alternateembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for power control of a handheld host with transceiver and application elements according to oneembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating an additional embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a communication system10 that includes a plurality of base stations or access points 12-16, aplurality of wireless communication devices 18-32 and a network hardwarecomponent 34. The wireless communication devices 18-32 may be laptophost computers 18 and 26, personal digital assistant hosts 20 and 30,personal computer hosts 24 and 32 and/or cellular telephone hosts 22 and28. The details of the wireless communication devices will be describedin greater detail with reference to FIG. 2.

The base stations or access points 12-16 are operably coupled to thenetwork hardware 34 via local area network connections 36, 38 and 40.The network hardware 34, which may be a router, switch, bridge, modem,system controller, etc., provides a wide area network connection 42 forthe communication system 10. Each of the base stations or access points12-16 has an associated antenna or antenna array to communicate with thewireless communication devices in its area. Typically, the wirelesscommunication devices register with a particular base station or accesspoint 12-16 to receive services from the communication system 10. Fordirect connections (i.e., point-to-point communications), wirelesscommunication devices communicate directly via an allocated channel.

Typically, base stations are used for cellular telephone systems andlike-type systems, while access points are used for in-home orin-building wireless networks. Regardless of the particular type ofcommunication system, each wireless communication device includes abuilt-in radio transceiver and/or is coupled to a radio transceiver. Theradio transceiver includes a highly linear amplifier and/or programmablemulti-stage amplifier, as disclosed herein, to enhance performance,reduce costs, reduce size, and/or enhance broadband applications.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a wirelesscommunication device that includes the host device 18-32 and anassociated radio 60. For cellular telephone hosts, the radio 60 is abuilt-in component. For personal digital assistants hosts, laptop hosts,and/or personal computer hosts, the radio 60 may be built-in or anexternally coupled component.

As illustrated, the host device 18-32 includes a processor module 50, amemory 52, a radio interface 54, an input interface 58 and an outputinterface 56. The processor module 50 and memory 52 execute thecorresponding instructions that are typically done by the host device.For example, for a cellular telephone host device, the processor module50 performs the corresponding communication functions in accordance witha particular cellular telephone standard.

The radio interface 54 allows data to be received from and sent to theradio 60. For data received from the radio 60 (e.g., inbound data), theradio interface 54 provides the data to the processor module 50 forfurther processing and/or routing to the output interface 56. The outputinterface 56 provides connectivity to an output display device, such asa display, monitor, speakers, etc., such that the received data may bedisplayed. The radio interface 54 also provides data from the processormodule 50 to the radio 60. The processor module 50 may receive theoutbound data from an input device such as a keyboard, keypad,microphone, etc., via the input interface 58 or generate the dataitself. For data received via the input interface 58, the processormodule 50 may perform a corresponding host function on the data and/orroute it to the radio 60 via the radio interface 54.

Radio 60 includes a host interface 62, a digital receiver processingmodule 64, an analog-to-digital converter 66, a filtering/gain module68, an IF mixing down-conversion module 70, a receiver filter module 71,a low noise amplifier 72, a transmitter/receiver switch module 73, alocal oscillation module 74, a memory 75, a digital transmitterprocessing module 76, a digital-to-analog converter 78, a filtering/gainmodule 80, an IF mixing up-conversion module 82, a power amplifier 84, atransmitter filter module 85, and an antenna 86. The antenna 86 may be asingle antenna that is shared by the transmit and receive paths asregulated by the Tx/Rx switch module 73, or may include separateantennas for the transmit path and receive path. The antennaimplementation will depend on the particular standard to which thewireless communication device is compliant.

The digital receiver processing module 64 and the digital transmitterprocessing module 76, in combination with operational instructionsstored in memory 75, execute digital receiver functions and digitaltransmitter functions, respectively. The digital receiver functionsinclude, but are not limited to, digital IF to baseband conversion,demodulation, constellation demapping, decoding, and/or descrambling.The digital transmitter functions include, but are not limited to,scrambling, encoding, constellation mapping, modulation, and/or digitalbaseband to IF conversion. The digital receiver and transmitterprocessing modules 64 and 76, respectively, may be implemented using ashared processing device, individual processing devices, or a pluralityof processing devices. Such a processing device may be a microprocessor,micro-controller, digital signal processor, microcomputer, centralprocessing unit, field programmable gate array, programmable logicdevice, state machine, logic circuitry, analog circuitry, digitalcircuitry, and/or any device that manipulates signals (analog and/ordigital) based on operational instructions.

The memory 75 may be a single memory device or a plurality of memorydevices. Such a memory device may be a read-only memory, random accessmemory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, static memory, dynamicmemory, flash memory, and/or any device that stores digital information.Note that when the processing module 64 and/or 76 implements one or moreof its functions via a state machine, analog circuitry, digitalcircuitry, and/or logic circuitry, the memory storing the correspondingoperational instructions is embedded with the circuitry comprising thestate machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logiccircuitry.

In operation, the radio 60 receives outbound data 94 from the hostdevice via the host interface 62. The host interface 62 routes theoutbound data 94 to the digital transmitter processing module 76, whichprocesses the outbound data 94 in accordance with a particular wirelesscommunication standard (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, Bluetooth,etc.) to produce digital transmission formatted data 96. The digitaltransmission formatted data 96 will be a digital baseband signal or adigital low IF signal, where the low IF typically will be in thefrequency range of one hundred kilohertz to a few megahertz.

The digital-to-analog converter 78 converts the digital transmissionformatted data 96 from the digital domain to the analog domain. Thefiltering/gain module 80 filters and/or adjusts the gain of the analogsignal prior to providing it to the IF mixing stage 82. The IF mixingup-conversion module 82 directly converts the analog baseband or low IFsignal into an RF signal based on a transmitter local oscillation 83provided by local oscillation module 74, which may be implemented inaccordance with the teachings of the present invention. The poweramplifier 84 amplifies the RF signal to produce outbound RF signal 98,which is filtered by the transmitter filter module 85. The antenna 86transmits the outbound RF signal 98 to a targeted device such as a basestation, an access point and/or another wireless communication device.

The radio 60 also receives an inbound RF signal 88 via the antenna 86,which was transmitted by a base station, an access point, or anotherwireless communication device. The antenna 86 provides the inbound RFsignal 88 to the receiver filter module 71 via the Tx/Rx switch module73, where the Rx filter module 71 bandpass filters the inbound RF signal88. The Rx filter module 71 provides the filtered RF signal to low noiseamplifier 72, which amplifies the inbound RF signal 88 to produce anamplified inbound RF signal. The low noise amplifier 72 provides theamplified inbound RF signal to the IF mixing down-conversion module 70,which directly converts the amplified inbound RF signal into an inboundlow IF signal or baseband signal based on a receiver local oscillation81 provided by local oscillation module 74, which may be implemented inaccordance with the teachings of the present invention. The IF mixingdown-conversion module 70 provides the inbound low IF signal or basebandsignal to the filtering/gain module 68. The filtering/gain module 68filters and/or gains the inbound low IF signal or the inbound basebandsignal to produce a filtered inbound signal.

The analog-to-digital converter 66 converts the filtered inbound signalfrom the analog domain to the digital domain to produce digitalreception formatted data 90. The digital receiver processing module 64decodes, descrambles, demaps, and/or demodulates the digital receptionformatted data 90 to recapture inbound data 92 in accordance with theparticular wireless communication standard being implemented by radio60. The host interface 62 provides the recaptured inbound data 92 to thehost device 18-32 via the radio interface 54.

As one of average skill in the art will appreciate, the wirelesscommunication device of FIG. 2 may be implemented using one or moreintegrated circuits. For example, the host device may be implemented onone integrated circuit, while the digital receiver processing module 64,the digital transmitter processing module 76 and memory 75 may beimplemented on a second integrated circuit. The remaining components ofthe radio 60, less the antenna 86, may be implemented on a thirdintegrated circuit. As an alternate example, the radio 60 may beimplemented on a single integrated circuit. As yet another example, theprocessor module 50 of the host device and the digital receiver andtransmitter processing modules 64 and 76, respectively, may be a commonprocessing device implemented on a single integrated circuit. Further,memory 52 and memory 75 may be implemented on a single integratedcircuit and/or on the same integrated circuit as the common processingmodules of processor module 50 and the digital receiver processingmodule 64 and digital transmitter processing module 76.

Some or all of the radios 60 of FIG. 1 include power managementfunctionality to enable a power management controller to selectivelypower down and power up radio receiver elements according to a pluralityof different modes or aspects of operation as is described in greaterdetail with reference to the figures that follow.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a hand held host formedaccording to one embodiment of the present invention. Hand held host 30of FIG. 1 is shown here in FIG. 3 and includes wireless communicationcircuitry 100 and application circuitry 102. Wireless communicationcircuitry 100 includes a plurality of transceiver elements 104, whileapplication circuitry 102 includes a plurality of application elements106. The transceiver elements 104 comprise any one of a plurality ofwireless transceiver modules (or elements), including cellular voice anddata networks, including TDMA, CDMA, GPRS, 1×EVDO and 1×EVDV, as well as802.04, 802.11 and 802.15 standard-based protocol devices for wirelesslocal area networks (WLANs), wireless personal access network (WPAN)devices, including Bluetooth and WLAN devices, infrared data association(IrDA) standards, and serial infrared communication data links.

Similarly, application circuitry 102 includes application elements 106that may be any one of a group of elements comprising of remote I/O(RIO) devices, MP3 players, game modules, contact and scheduleapplications, such as address books and calendars, and peripheralinterface modules (PIMs). This list of modules is not exhaustive. Theinvention applies with equal force to any module installed in a portabledevice.

As may be seen, each of the transceiver elements 104 and applicationelements 106 are coupled to a corresponding power delivery element 108.Each of the power delivery elements 108 is coupled to a processor module50 that generates power level control commands 110 over the powercontrol lines to the power delivery elements 108. Generally, processormodule 50 generates power level control commands 110 for each powerdelivery element to prompt it to provide full power, reduced power or nopower, to its corresponding transceiver element 104 or applicationelement 106. Processor module 50 includes a power management module 112,which includes logic to determine the respective power levels for eachof the transceiver elements 104 and application elements 106 andgenerates communications to processor module 50 to prompt it to generatecorresponding power level control commands 110 over the correspondingpower control lines to the corresponding power delivery elements 108. Inone embodiment of the invention, power management module 112 comprisescomputer instructions that are executed by processor module 50 toachieve operations according to logic defined by the computerinstructions. In an alternate embodiment, the logic for power managementmodule 112 is formed in hardware. For example, the logic may be formedin state logic or in a programmable gate array. Additionally, processormodule 50 is coupled to communicate with wireless communicationcircuitry 100 to transmit thereto and receive therefrom communicationsignals.

As may be seen, the embodiment of FIG. 3 allows power management module112 to prompt processor module 50 to generate power level controlcommands 110 to any transceiver element or application element, powerdelivery element 108 for controlling power provided thereto.Accordingly, intelligent power control may be achieved to maximizebattery life and facilitate more intelligent operation of the hand heldhost 30. At its most rudimentary level, several power modes may bedefined. For example, in a first mode of operation, each of thetransceiver elements 104 of wireless communication circuitry 100, aswell as each of the application elements 106 of application circuitry102, may be powered on in the first mode of operation.

Alternatively, in a second mode of operation, for example, a silent modeof operation, processor module 50 may generate power level controlcommands to power delivery elements 108 to result in power being appliedonly to the application elements 106. Thus, in this embodiment, handheld host 30 may be utilized in environments in which radiation is notpermitted. For example, each of the application elements 106 may bepowered while a user of hand held host 30 is traveling on a jetairplane, while power is not provided to the transceiver elements 104 inorder to comply with federal aviation regulations.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating additional aspects ofthe invention. As may be seen, a hand held host 32 includes a clock 113and a power source 114. Power source 114 is coupled to provide power ona power bus 116. Each element, device or module of hand held host 32 iscoupled either directly or indirectly to receive power from power bus116. Thus, processor module 50, as well as each of the varioustransceiver elements and application elements 104 and 106, respectively,are coupled to receive power from power bus 116. Each of the transceiverand application elements 104 and 106, however, are coupled to receivepower indirectly by way of power delivery elements 108. Additionally, Adisplay and audio module 118 and keypad module 120 receive power frompower bus 116 by way of a pair of drivers 121.

Within processor module 50, there exists a plurality of logic modulesthat generate power level control commands 110 over power control linesthat are each coupled to a corresponding power delivery element 108.Thus, for example, IrDA power module 122 generates power level controlcommands 110 for controlling power provided to IrDA module 124.Similarly, WPAN power module 126 controls power delivery to WPAN module128. Cellular phone power module 134 controls power delivered tocellular phone module 136 and game power module 138 controls powerdelivered to game module 140. Similarly, RIO power module 142 controlspower delivered to RIO module 144, while PIM power module 146 controlspower delivered to PIM module 148. Finally, addressing power module 150controls power delivered to addressing module 152, while MP3 powermodule 154 controls power delivered to MP3 module 156.

By minimizing the number of modules of the transceiver and applicationelements 104 and 106 that are powered on, the power drained from powerbus 116 provided by power source 114 is reduced. Additionally, in oneembodiment of the invention, the clock rate provided by clock 113further is coupled to receive speed control signals generated byprocessor module 50 according to what transceiver and applicationelements 104 and 106 are powered on so as to reduce unnecessaryprocessing speed and power consumption associated therewith. Thus,processor module 50 includes logic to generate speed control signals toclock 113 to provide appropriate clock rates and to further minimizeunnecessary consumption of power.

FIG. 5 is a table illustrating one embodiment of the operation of thepresent invention. As may be seen in the mode-programming table of FIG.5, for each of the five modes listed in column 160 there exists anindication of a corresponding power mode for each of the transceiver andapplication elements 104 and 106 listed specifically in columns 164through 184. The transceiver and application elements 104 and 106 arelisted specifically in row 188. More specifically, the present exampleis for a hand held host that includes a wireless LAN/wireless personalaccess network (WLAN/WPAN), a pager/short message service (SMS) module,a cell phone, a calculator, at least one game application, and anaddress book/calendar application. Thus, as may be seen, if mode 1operation is selected, then each transceiver and application element 104and 106 listed is powered on as shown generally in row 192. If mode 2operation is selected, then each of the transceiver elements do notreceive power, while each of the application elements do receive power,as is shown generally in row 194. More specifically, the WLAN/WPAN, thepager/SMS and the cell phone do not receive power, while the calculator,game and address book/calendar do receive power.

If mode 3 operation is selected, as shown in row 198, the WLAN/WPAN,pager/SMS and cell phone each receive power only on a periodic basis,while the calculator, game and address book/calendar receive continualpower. If mode 4 operation is selected, either by the user or if thehand held host operating according to FIG. 5 selects a low power modebecause power resources have dropped below a specified threshold, onlythe one or more of the transceiver elements 104 receives power on aperiodic basis, while all other application elements 106 do not receivepower unless specifically selected. Accordingly, as may be seen in row202, the WLAN/WPAN receives power periodically to enable it to searchfor and download messages, while the pager/SMS and cell phone are notpowered on (unless specifically selected). Similarly, none of theapplication elements 106 are powered unless specifically selected. Thus,in the example shown, the address book/calendar has been selected andtherefore does receive power, while the calculator and game do notreceive power.

Finally, row 206 illustrates mode 5 operation, which is a custom mode ofoperation in the described embodiment. In the custom mode of operation,a user is able to specify in advance what elements receive power duringthat mode of operation. For example, the user may decide to play a gameand to disable the cell phone and pager/SMS, but to enable the WLAN/WPANto periodically access its corresponding network to download any queuedmessages or data. Additionally, as may be seen, neither the calculatornor the address book/calendar receive power while the game mode isselected through custom mode 5. As will be illustrated below, the useris able to select what transceiver elements 104 and application elements106 receive power during the custom mode and the type of power that theyreceive.

In the described embodiment, mode 4, which is reserved for low poweroperation, also is programmable. Accordingly, in the example here inFIG. 5, the user has opted to only enable the WLAN/WPAN to operate on aperiodic mode, while other transceiver elements 104 do not receive powerwhen the hand held host power levels fall below a specified threshold.Moreover, as is shown herein, none of the application elements 106receive power unless specifically selected to operate while in the lowpower mode. Thus, while the calculator and game receive power, theexample in FIG. 5 illustrates that the address book/calendar does notreceive power (as the parenthetical indicates) unless specificallyselected while the hand held host is in the low power mode 4 operation.

FIG. 6 is a table illustrating mode selection according to one aspect ofthe present invention. As may be seen from referring to FIG. 6, thecolumn shown generally at 210 lists each of the five modes of oneembodiment of the present invention, while the column shown generally at214 illustrates the selection of the mode of operation. Accordingly, asmay be seen, mode 5 has been selected as the operating mode for the handheld host as described in this embodiment. In the specific example, mode5 corresponds to the custom mode of row 206 in FIG. 5. In oneembodiment, all options are shown at once. In an alternate embodiment,less than all embodiments are shown and the user must scroll through theoptions to select the mode of operation.

FIG. 7 is a table illustrating an aspect of one embodiment of thepresent invention and, more specifically, the selection of operatingparameters for a custom mode of operation. As may be seen, transceiverelements 104 are shown in the upper portion of the table of FIG. 7,while the application elements 106 are shown in the bottom portion. Foreach of the transceiver elements 104, namely, the WLAN/WPAN, thepager/SMS, and the cell phone, the user has the option of selectingwhether the transceiver element is to receive power, is not to receivepower, or is to receive power on a periodic basis. Thus, in the exampleshown, the WLAN/WPAN is to receive power periodically, while thepager/SMS and cell phone are not to receive power whenever the custommode 5 operation is selected.

In the described embodiment, periodic refers to the transceiver elementreceiving power on a periodic basis, for example, once every 5 minutes,to enable the corresponding transceiver element to communicate with anexternal node to download queued messages or data therefrom. Once thecommunication is complete and the transceiver element determines thatthere are no more messages or data to be downloaded, then thetransceiver element is powered off. In the described embodiment, thetransceiver element is powered on once every 5 minutes. The duration ofthe period, however, may easily be modified and may even be modified ona transceiver element by transceiver element basis. In one embodiment ofthe present invention, the user is able to select the period intervalsfor each of the transceiver elements when operating in the periodic modeof operation.

With respect to the application elements 106 shown in the bottom portionof the custom application selection table of FIG. 7, one may note thatthe user has selected for the game module of the application elements106 to receive power, while the calculator and other applications do notreceive power. In the described embodiment, only one application element106 receives power in a given mode, including the custom mode ofoperation. In alternate embodiments, multiple application elements areallowed to receive power at the time. In a full power mode in thedescribed embodiment, however, only one application element receivespower.

The transceiver elements 104, on the other hand, all receive power in afull power mode so that they all may operate to communicate with theircorresponding networks. Thus, in a full power mode, the cell phone canreceive calls, the pager/SMS module may receive pages and SMS messages,and the WLAN/WPAN may receive text files, emails, etc., all at the sametime and, thus, all are powered on in a full power mode while only oneapplication element (at most) receives power. In the embodiment of thisinvention, the hand held host powers on to one of a defined applicationelement or a last-selected application element and requires userselection prior to applying power to any one or more transceiverelements. As is described herein, however, many different embodimentsexist for power on operation.

In the custom power mode, as shown in FIG. 7, each of the devices thatreceive power is selectable and thus receives power according to userpreference. In the example of FIG. 7, in summary, only the game modulereceives power continuously and the WLAN/WPAN receives powerperiodically. All other devices, in the custom mode of operation, do notreceive power until the user makes changes to his or her selectionsshown in the table of FIG. 7. In general, FIG. 7 reflects that a usermay make power selections, which are then mapped to the custom mode ofoperation and are enabled whenever the custom mode is selected.

FIG. 8 illustrates a default power on selection table illustrating yetanother aspect of the present invention. In general, one considerationis what default mode of operation exists for a hand held host wheneverpower is initially applied. In one embodiment of the invention, thedefault mode of operation includes applying power only to a selectedapplication element 106 that does not radiate radio frequency wirelesstransmission signals. Thus, a user may readily power on the hand heldhost in an airplane without violating Federal Aviation regulations.

In an alternate embodiment of the invention, and in the one illustratedby FIG. 8, the user is able to select a default operational mode. Thus,as shown in row 218, the user is able to specify the default mode isalways the last selected mode. In rows 222 through 236, however, theuser is able to specify which of the five modes of operation is thedefault mode. In this example, the user has selected mode 5 (the custommode) as the default mode of operation. Accordingly, if the custom modeof operation is as defined in FIG. 7, when the user powers on the handheld host, only the game module initially receives power on a continualbasis, while the WLAN/WPAN receives power on a periodic basis. Thus, ifthe user were on a flight, he or she would need to immediately disablepower to the WLAN/WPAN so as not to violate Federal Aviationregulations. If, on the other hand, the user is not in an environmentwhich electromagnetic radiations are prohibited, then the configurationfor the custom mode of operation of FIG. 7 is ideal for a user thatwishes to play a game, for example, without significant interruptionfrom the cell phone and/or pager.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of an alternate embodiment of theinvention of a hand held host. Referring to FIG. 9, the hand held host240 includes a processor 242 that communicates with a radio front end244 over a bus 246. The radio front end 244 includes typical radio frontend components, such as those shown in and described in relation to FIG.2. Hand held host 240 further includes a memory 248 for storing computerinstructions that define the operational logic of hand held host 240.Processor 242 retrieves the computer instructions from memory 248, aswell as from a temporary memory 250 over an internal bus 252. In thedescribed embodiment, processor 242 communicates with radio front end244 over the bus or communication lines represented by 246 and withmemory 248 and temporary memory 250 over internal bus 252. It isunderstood, of course, that many different types of connections may beimplemented to facilitate the communication between processor 242,memory 248 and temporary memory 250, as well as between processor 242and radio front end 244.

Continuing to examine the hand held host 240 of FIG. 9, it may be seenthat three hardware switches 254, 256 and 258 are provided, each ofwhich is for prompting a switch interpretation module 260 to power onhand held host 240 in a corresponding mode of operation. For example, inthe described embodiment, switch 254 relates to power mode 1 operation,while switch 256 relates to power mode 2 operation and switch 258relates to power mode 5 (the custom mode) of operation. Thus, wheneverhand held host 240 is powered off and is dormant, the depression of oneof the switches, namely, switches 254, 256 or 258, will cause processor242 to execute computer instructions within memory 248 to operate in thecorresponding power mode of operation. If, for example, switch 258 isdepressed, switch interpretation module 260 initiates power up routinesand transmits selected mode information to processor 242, which itimplements as it powers up hand held host 240 to prompt hand held host240 to power up into the custom power mode of operation. In theexamples, herein, since the custom power mode of operation provides forperiodic power to be applied to the WLAN/WPAN and continuous power tothe game module and for all other modules and elements to be poweredoff, processor 242 will provide power to the corresponding modules inthe described manner if the custom mode is programmed as shown in FIG.5.

In the embodiment of FIG. 9, each of the modules (and elements)described, for example, in FIGS. 4 and 5, are logically formed by theexecution of computer instructions stored within memory 248 that definelogic to create and operate according to logic of the correspondingmodules. It is understood, of course, that this is an alternateembodiment and that the modules may readily be formed in hardware or acombination of hardware and software as well. Additionally, if hand heldhost 240 is presently operating in a mode (any defined power mode), andone of the three switches 254, 256 or 258 is depressed, then hand heldhost 240 will change modes to the one that corresponds to the depressedpower mode switch. Finally, while not shown specifically herein, it isunderstood that a user menu may be created to enable the user to selectmodes of operation correspond with the three switches 254, 256 and 258.Thus, switch 258 may readily be programmed to initiate any other powermode of operation. Similarly, corresponding power modes of operation maybe defined for switches 254 and 256. Additionally, as shown herein, thecharacteristics of each mode also are selectable.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of one embodiment of thepresent invention. Initially, a hand held host determines a power modeof operation comprising one of a silent mode, a fully enabledcommunication mode and a periodic communication mode (step 260). Thehand held host is a transceiver device that includes both transceiverelements and non-communication application elements. For example, thehand held host can include any of the aforementioned transceiverelements 104 or application elements 106. Thereafter, the hand held hostdelivers power to corresponding transceiver and application elements tocause the hand held host to operate in one of a plurality of power modesof operation (step 262). Step 262 further includes at least one of thesteps of generating control signals to a first specified group of powerdelivery elements to deliver power to transceiver elements thatcommunicate with other devices by way of a wireless medium (step 264) orgenerate control signals to a second specified group of power deliveryelements to deliver power to application elements that do notcommunicate with other devices by way of a wireless medium (step 266).

For the present example illustrated in the steps of FIG. 10, the fullyenabled communication mode comprises delivering control signals to eachpower delivery element coupled to provide power to each of thetransceiver elements that communicate with other devices by way of awireless medium. A silent mode comprises generating no control signalsto the power delivery elements that deliver power to the transceiverelements (or, alternatively, generating control signals to prompt thepower delivery elements to not deliver power to the correspondingtransceiver or application elements) that communicate with other devicesby way of a wireless medium and further includes generating at least onecontrol signal to at least one power delivery element that deliverspower to an application module that does not communicate with otherdevices by way of a wireless medium. For example, an application modulethat provides a calendar function or address function or, for example, agame function.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an aspect of the operation of oneembodiment of the present invention. Initially, a hand held hostreceives a power on indication (step 270) and determines a correspondingmode of operation and provides power accordingly to correspondingtransceiver modules (step 272). Additionally, the hand held hostgenerates a display menu on a display element to enable a user to selectwhat transceiver modules receive power for a specified power mode (step274). The transceiver elements herein include those that are able tocommunicate with other devices by way of a wireless medium (through RF).Optionally, the method of FIG. 11 includes generating a display menu tothe user on the display element to enable the user to select whattransceiver elements receive power for a custom power mode (step 276). Acustom power mode is one that enables the user to select whattransceiver elements and application modules receive power for a custompower mode.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an aspect of one embodiment of theinvention. Initially, a hand held host powers on to a default mode ofoperation wherein the default mode of operation is one of a full powermode in which all transceiver elements and application elements arepowered, a silent mode in which only non-radiating application elementsare powered or a periodic mode in which radiating transceiver elementsare only occasionally powered, or to a custom mode in which a userspecifies what transceiver elements and application elements are poweredand what application elements and transceiver elements are periodicallypowered (step 278). Thereafter, the hand held host determines that a newpower mode of operation has been selected and provides power accordinglyto the corresponding transceiver and application elements (step 280).Thereafter, optionally, the hand held host generates a display menu whena display element to enable the user to select what transceiver andapplication elements receive power for a specified power mode (step282). Finally, the hand held host generates a display menu to the useron the display element to enable the user to select what transceiverelements and application elements receive power and what transceiverelements receive power to operate in a periodic mode of operation for acustom power mode (step 284).

One difference between the optional step 282 and step 284 is that step282 provides for custom selection of what transceiver elements andapplication elements receive power during the custom mode of operationwhenever the custom mode of operation is selected. The optional step282, however, further allows for some custom selection of power for thetransceiver elements and/or the application elements in specified modesof operation besides the custom power mode of operation. Effectively,step 284 provides for one custom mode of operation, while step 282potentially provides multiple custom modes of operation.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method according to an alternateembodiment of the present invention. Initially, a hand held devicehaving a plurality of power switches monitors each of the plurality ofpower switches for switch activation (step 286). In one describedembodiment of the invention, the hand held host includes three powerswitches, each of which corresponds to a mode of operation. Accordingly,the hand held device monitors the three switches for switch activation,thereby indicating that a corresponding power mode of operation has beenselected or, if the hand held device is powered off, that it shouldpower on into the selected power mode of operation. Thus, the secondstep, while continuously monitoring for the switch activations, is todetermine that one of the plurality of switches has been activated (step288) and, as mentioned before, the hand held host must determine thecorresponding power mode of operation (step 290). If a switchcorresponding to a first power mode of operation is selected, the handheld host will provide power only to non-radiating application elements(step 292).

If a second power mode of operation is selected by the user, the handheld host will provide power to radiating and non-radiating transceiverelements and application elements, respectively (step 294). Finally, ifa third power mode of operation is selected by the user, the hand heldhost will provide power to radiating transceiver elements onlytemporarily and on a periodic basis for the transceiver elements toretrieve messages that are stored in a queue by an external device (step296). This periodic mode is to enable at least one transceiverapplication to determine if an external device is attempting tocommunicate with it or if it has data or messages to deliver to the handheld host.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for power control of a handheld host with transceiver and application elements according to oneembodiment of the present invention. Initially, the inventive methodincludes powering up to a silent mode of operation (step 300).Thereafter, the invention includes determining whether to provide powerto at least one transceiver element (step 302). After determiningwhether to provide power to at least one transceiver element, theinvention includes determining if power is to be applied to the at leastone transceiver element, and whether to apply power continuously orperiodically (step 304). If power is to be applied to the at least onetransceiver element periodically, the power is provided sufficientlylong to enable the specific element to engage in a communication sessionwith an external device. For example, power is provided to enable thehand held host to download a message or a plurality of messages. Oncethe download is complete, the transceiver element generates a signal toprompt a power controller to power down the transceiver element. Inanother embodiment, the transceiver element merely powers itself downafter it is done downloading whenever the hand held host is in aperiodic mode of operation.

After determining whether to apply power periodically or continuously,the invention includes providing a display on a display device of thehand held host to enable a user to select a power-mode mode of operationand monitoring specified switch activations to recognize and interpretthe user's selection (step 306). The invention also includes providing adisplay on a display device of the hand held host to enable a user toselect what hand held host elements receive power at power-up andmonitoring specified switch activations to recognize and interpret theuser's selection (step 308). Finally, the invention includes operatingin a mode wherein at least one transceiver element is receiving powerand further including monitoring for activation of a specified switchand, upon detection of the specified switch being activated, removingpower from the at least one transceiver element to operate in a silentmode of operation (step 310). Each of the switch selections that aremonitored may be a physical switch or a “soft switch”, meaning that aspecified key depression, when prompted, stands for a requested result(e.g., “1” equals “yes” and “0” equals “no”).

FIG. 15 is a flow chart illustrating an additional embodiment of thepresent invention. For the purpose of explaining this additionalembodiment of the present invention, a hand held host first determineswhether power is to be applied to the at least one transceiver element,and, if so, whether to apply power continuously or periodically (step312). As described before, a periodic mode of operation includesproviding power periodically to selected transceiver elements to enablethe transceiver elements to down load pending messages or queued data.

As a variation of the periodic mode of operation, however, a hand helddevice operates with at least one transceiver element in a silentnetwork detection (“sniff”) mode of operation (step 314). As has beendescribed previously, the silent mode of operation is a mode in whichthe transceiver elements are not powered on and are not radiating anywireless communication signals. A silent network detection mode ofoperation, or “sniff” mode, is one in which a transceiver element ispowered off and, periodically, is powered on sufficiently to enable itto determine whether a supporting or corresponding network isoperationally present. Thus, for step 314, at least one transceiverelement is not powered on and is in a silent mode of operation. Whetherthis at least one transceiver element is in a periodic mode of operationas defined herein or in a silent network detection mode of operationdepends upon user selection and network conditions.

To illustrate, a first group of transceiver elements may operate in theperiodic mode of operation meaning that they are powered on periodicallyafter a defined period of time has elapsed to enable the first group oftransceiver elements to communicate with corresponding networks todownload messages or data. Here, however, the at least one transceiverelement in the silent network detection mode of operation is poweredonly to an extent necessary to determine if a corresponding wirelessnetwork is present and operational. The interval between being powered,however, may be different and significantly greater than the intervalfor the periodic mode of operation (or it may be equal).

Thus, for example, the group of transceiver elements operating in theperiodic mode of operation would be provided power every five minutes(for example) to enable them to communicate with their correspondingnetworks. The at least one transceiver element operating in the silentnetwork detection mode, however, is only powered on every 20 minutes(for example) to an extent necessary to “sniff” or detect acorresponding wireless network that is present and operational.

Thereafter, the invention includes determining whether to provide powerto the at least one transceiver element operating in the silent mode ofoperation to enable the at least one transceiver element to “sniff” foror detect a corresponding network (step 316). As defined herein,“sniffing” includes providing an adequate amount of power to at least aportion of a transceiver element to enable the transceiver element ofthe hand held host containing the transceiver element to determinewhether a corresponding wireless network is present and operational toenable the transceiver element to communicate therewith. Thus, theinvention further includes providing power to at least one transceiverelement operating in the network detection mode of operation todetermine if, for the at least one transceiver element, a supportingwireless network is present and operational (step 318). Finally, theinvention includes determining, for each detected wireless network,whether the detected wireless network has data or messages to bedownloaded (step 320).

In an alternate embodiment of the invention, whenever the user selectsthe periodic mode of operation for a group of transceiver elements, thetransceiver elements are powered periodically as described before. If,however, a transceiver element is not able to detect a correspondingnetwork, then the hand held device places the transceiver element intothe silent network detection mode of operation wherein it is not poweredas frequently as the remaining transceiver elements of the group oftransceiver elements for which operational corresponding networks exist.Thus, battery power is not needlessly consumed powering up a transceiverelement that, in all probability, does not have a supporting networkoperationally present.

As a further aspect of the present of the invention, the networkdetection mode of operation comprises providing a minimal amount ofpower to make an approximate determination as to whether a correspondingnetwork is operationally present. For example, portions of a receiverfront end may be powered only sufficiently to determine whether thereexists electrical energy in a specified channel. To illustrate, a lownoise amplifier and a received signal strength indicator circuit may beprovided enough power to determine whether a specified channel containsthe possibility of communication signals being broadcast thereon.

Generally, one embodiment of the invention includes a hand held radiohost that further includes circuitry for selectively providing power toradiating transceiver elements and non-radiating application elementsaccording to a plurality of power modes of operation to achieve desiredeffects and in a way that saves power and extends battery life. In oneembodiment of the invention, the hand held host operates in one of threemodes. In a full power mode, any selected application element as well asall transceiver elements are powered on at the same time. Thus, forexample, a cell phone module, a wireless personal access network module,a wireless local area network module and one of a pager/short messageservice message module may all be powered on at the same time to receivecorresponding messages, calls, data sessions, etc. At the same time thatall of the transceiver elements are powered on, any selected applicationelement receives power. Thus, application elements such as addressbooks, calendar functions, games, word processors, etc may receive powerwhen selected.

In a second mode of operation, namely, a silent mode of operation, onlyselected application elements can receive power. Radiating transceiverelements do not receive power in this mode of operation. Thus, uponselection of this mode, transceiver elements do not radiate but theapplication elements are readily accessible. This is helpful in manysituations including, for example, in flight where it is prohibited touse devices that radiate while cockpit or cabin doors are closed.

In a third mode of operation, selected application modules receivepower. Transceiver elements, however, only receive power on a periodicbasis. In one embodiment of the invention, the transceiver elementsreceive power in a fixed interval, for example, once every five minutes.When a transceiver device receives power in the periodic mode, itreceives power as long as is necessary to down load any pending messagesor data files.

The embodiments of the invention may further include providing userselectable menus to enable a user to select what transceiver elementsand application elements receive power in a custom mode of operation. Ina different embodiment, each power mode of operation has selectableapplication and transceiver elements for receiving power whenever thevarious modes are selected. Finally, the user selectable menus enablethe user to select a power-up mode of operation. Thus, for example, theuser is able to select a particular application element for the defaultpower-up mode of operation to enable the user to selectively activateremaining transceiver and application elements.

The various user selections are made through a graphical user interfacein one embodiment of the invention. In another embodiment of theinvention, however, the hand held host includes a plurality of powerswitches wherein each one corresponds to a mode of operation. The modesof operation, however, may be defined. More specifically, user selectedtransceiver and application elements are mapped to each of the pluralityof power switches. Thus, regardless of whether the hand held host ispowering on from an off state or is transitioning to the selected modeof operation, the user is able to specifically and easily control themode of operation by predefining what elements corresponding to aparticular switch (hardware or software) and then by depressing theswitch whenever the corresponding mode of operation is desired.

The preceding discussion has presented a method and apparatus for aradio receiver including a power management controller for extending areceiver's battery life. As one of average skill in the art willappreciate, other embodiments may be derived from the teaching of thepresent invention, without deviating from the scope of the claims.

1. A radio transceiver hand held host, comprising: wirelesscommunication circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio frequencycommunication signals, the wireless communication circuitry furtherincluding a plurality of transceiver elements; a processor modulecoupled to receive and generate digital communication signals from andto the wireless communication circuitry; logic for prompting theprocessor module to control power levels of a plurality of transceiverand application elements, collectively, host elements, according to anoperational mode of the radio transceiver; and power delivery circuitrycoupled to the corresponding host elements for selectively deliveringpower to a specified host element, the power delivery circuitry furthercoupled to receive control commands from the processor module.
 2. Theradio transceiver hand held host of claim 1 wherein the power deliverycircuitry further includes switches that couple a power source to thespecified host element.
 3. The radio transceiver hand held host of claim1 wherein the power delivery circuitry further includes drivers thatselectively provide power to the specified host element.
 4. The radiotransceiver hand held host of claim 1 wherein the at least one logicmodule comprises logic formed in hardware.
 5. The radio transceiver handheld host of claim 4 wherein the logic comprises at least one of statelogic, a programmable gate array or memory further comprising computerinstructions defining operational logic wherein the processor module iscoupled to receive and execute the computer instructions.
 6. The radiotransceiver hand held host of claim 1 wherein the processor moduleincludes logic for selectively powering at least one of a wirelesspersonal area network (WPAN) module or a wireless local area network(WLAN) module.
 7. The radio transceiver hand held host of claim 1wherein the processor module includes logic for selectively powering anon-radiating module comprising at least one of a game module, an MP3module, a calculator module, or an audio module.
 8. The radiotransceiver hand held host of claim 1 wherein the processor moduleincludes logic for selectively powering at least one of an Infrared DataAssociation (IrDA) standards serial infrared communications data link, aremote I/O (RIO) module, or a cellular phone transceiver front endcircuit.
 9. A hand held device, comprising: a first wireless transceivermodule for transmitting and receiving radio frequency communicationsignals; a second wireless transceiver module for transmitting andreceiving radio frequency communication signals; a first applicationmodule for providing a first application function; a second applicationmodule for providing a second application function; a selective powersupply module coupled to selectively provide power to the first andsecond radio transceiver modules and the first and second applicationmodules; and a control module for generating control signals based uponthe device being in a radiating or non-radiating mode of operation tothe selective power supply module to control when and what modules ofthe first and second radio transceiver modules and the first and secondapplication modules receive power.
 10. The hand held device of claim 9wherein the selective power module comprising a plurality of powerdelivery agents for delivering power to each of the first and secondradio transceiver modules, an IrDA data link module and the first andsecond application modules, wherein each power delivery agent comprisesan input node for receiving the control signals from the control module.11. The hand held device of claim 9 wherein the hand held device powersonly modules within at least one group of modules that do not generateswireless communication signals during a first mode of operation.
 12. Thehand held device of claim 9 wherein the hand held device powers moduleswithin at least one group of modules a group of modules that do notgenerate wireless communication signals during a first mode of operationand to at least one group of modules that generates wirelesscommunication signals in a second mode of operation.